ABOUT QUOKKAS
WHAT ARE THEY?
The quokka (Setonix brachyurus) is a small marsupial native to Australia. They are part of the macropod family, along with wallabies and kangaroos.
WHERE ARE THEY?
Quokkas on the mainland are most commonly found in WA, around Albany, Nannup, Denmark, and Collie. Off the coast, they are also found on Bald Island near Albany, and Rottnest Island, the latter of which hosts the largest, most thriving population of quokkas.
APPEARANCE
Quokkas are small and plump with rounded ears and thick, brown fur. They are similar in appearance to wallabies (but smaller), with a black nose, black paws, and black eyes. Quokkas usually weigh between 2.7-5 kilograms. They have a brown tail, the width of which is used to determine the health of the quokka.
DIET
Quokkas are herbivores, and survive off grass, leaves, shrubs, and succulents. It is strongly inadvisable for humans to feed them. They require a large water intake, which they can get from vegetation. Amazingly, quokkas can survive for days without food or water by surviving off of fat stored in their tails!
VULNERABILITY
Quokkas are under threat primarily from climate change, which affects their habitat by increasing aridity in their more tropical habitats. They face extra threats on the mainland, such as introduced predators, and loss of habitat from forest clearing or bushfires. There is an estimated 4000 quokkas remaining on the Australian mainland.
HABITAT
Quokkas mainly live in places with dense vegetation which they survive off and use as cover from predators. They live in areas with high rainfall - usually 600mls or above.
An Albany forest - one of the quokka's preferred environments. Credit: David Davies
A quokka enjoying the flavours of Rottnest Island. Credit: S. Rohrlach
A quokka in the Rottnest wilderness.
Credit: Greg Schechter
ABOUT US
Quokkawareness are all about putting the spotlight on Australia's happiest marsupial - the quokka. Famous for their photogenetic nature, quokkas are trending around the world, but we're here to show that there is so much more to them than their looks.
We hope to highlight the seriousness of the threats that the quokka population faces due to human activity, and encourage people to take action.
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We're spreading the word with social media, print media, and games to construct a campaign to grab people's attentions and inspire them to help in the effort to save these creatures.
